Catamaran with hinged underwing

ABSTRACT

A catamaran has a pair of spaced-apart pontoons, each having a forward tapered end and a rearward end. An underwing is affixed to the pontoons and spans therebetween. The underwing has a forward end and a rearward end. A platform is pivotally connected to the underwing forward end and/or rearward end and conforms to the pontoons at their forward tapered end or their rearward end, respectively. The platform also has a forward end. A power assembly (e.g., oil hydraulic, air hydraulic, cable lift, chain lift, spring loaded, gear-driven, and other lifting mechanisms) is connected to the platform for one or more of lowering or raising the platform from a stowed position to a plurality of working positions—including positions below the waterline—of the catamaran and for one or more of raising or lowering the platform back to the stowed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to watercraft and moreparticularly to a catamaran with a forward hinged underwing orbridgework lowerable at sea to insert or extract person(s), article(s),and/or equipment, into or from the water, or onto or from the land, oronto or from rock piles, rock jetties, break walls; insert or extractsubmarines into or from the water; assist in the efforts of homelandsecurity, military, police and law enforcement, fire-fighting, rescue,and like operations; assist in high speed rescue excursions, includingunder-fire personnel recovery; assist in turbulent and turbid waterrescue, including rescue and recovery from water around dams andwaterfalls; assist in aircraft and aircraft personnel recovery; assistin the interdiction of illegal watercraft (smugglers, etc.) and theirpersonnel, contrabands, materials, etc.; assist in buoy and wallservicing at the proper height; and/or provide for the roll on and rolloff capabilities of wheelchairs, carts with wheel(s), and speciallydesigned gurneys for rescue operations.

The superior nautical qualities of catamaran type watercraft are wellknown. Their high beam-to-length ratio and their shallow draft providedesirable stability and resistance to capsizing. In addition, somespecialized catamarans offer high speed, extremely smooth ride, enhancedstability, and greater maneuverability due to their hull shape andpropulsion location. This combination of improved speed, stability,ride, and maneuverability provides a unique solution to many age-oldproblems with the current technologies of landing craft (i.e., landingcraft are very slow, unstable in comparison, difficult to maneuver, andare wet as a transport platform). Such superior nautical qualities makecatamaran watercraft ideally suited for a variety of inland waterway,lake, close to shore, and open ocean tasks. Such tasks include, interalia, those listed above. For present purposes, “at sea” means any bodyof water upon which the inventive catamaran can operate, including,inter alia, inland waterway, lake, ocean, sea, or like body of water.

One drawback against other vessel types relates to the superior abilityof the catamaran's skipper or crewman to easily accomplish theenumerated tasks. Heretofore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,182 proposes anenvironmental work vessel having a catamaran hull and a pivotallymounted debris scoop mounted between the pontoons. U.S. Pat. No.3,815,541 proposes a pontoon houseboat having capacity to receive andretain a small craft between the pontoons. In FIGS. 22 and 23, a hingedplatform that lowers into the water is disclosed. U.S. Pat. No.4,020,777 proposes catamaran having a hinged platform between the twopontoons that lowers for retrieving buoys from the water. U.S. Pat. No.4,545,315 proposes a remote control catamaran type craft with a hingedplatform disposed between the pontoons, which platform lowers toretrieve fowl from the water during hunting trips.

Despite such prior proposals, there still exists a need in the art tomodify a catamaran or pontoon-type watercraft so that it can easilyperform the tasks listed above. It is to such need that the presentinvention is addressed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A catamaran has a pair of spaced-apart pontoons, each having a forwardtapered end and a rearward end. An underwing is affixed to the pontoonsand spans therebetween. The underwing has a forward end and a rearwardend. A platform is pivotally connected to the underwing forward endand/or rearward end and conforms to the pontoons at their forwardtapered end or their rearward end, respectively. The platform also has aforward end. A power assembly (e.g., oil hydraulic, air hydraulic, cablelift, chain lift, spring loaded, gear-driven, and other liftingmechanisms) is connected to the platform for one or more of lowering orraising the platform from a stowed position to a plurality of workingpositions—including positions below the waterline—of the catamaran andfor one or more of raising or lowering the platform back to the stowedposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention, reference should be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the catamaran floating in a body ofwater;

FIG. 2 is an overhead view of the catamaran of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view of the catamaran of FIG. 1 with theforward portion of the underwing lowered into the water, for example, toinsert or extract person(s), article(s), or equipment into or from thewater; or to roll down a retrieval gurney for an unconscious orotherwise disabled person.

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of the catamaran of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a typical hinge assembly shown in FIG.5—other rotational systems also are applicable;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view like that in FIG. 3 with a crewmemberof the catamaran standing on the lowered forward underwing forretrieving a person floating in the water;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view like that in FIG. 3 with the forwardhinged underwing resting upon the beach;

FIGS. 10-12 are side elevational views like those in FIGS. 8 and 9 withthe adjustable platform or ramp at different appropriate heights fordifferent missions; and

FIG. 15 is an overhead view like that in FIG. 2 with a speciallylouvered or grated platform and extension for allowing water to passtherethrough.

The drawings will be described in further detail below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As described above, there is a need to be able to insert or extractperson(s), article(s), equipment, into or from the water, or onto orfrom the land, or onto or from rock piles, rock jetties, break walls;insert or extract submarines into or from the water; assist in theefforts of homeland security, military, police and law enforcement,fire-fighting, rescue, and like operations; assist in high speed rescueexcursions, including under-fire personnel recovery; assist in turbulentand turbid water rescue, including rescue and recovery from water arounddams and waterfalls; assist in aircraft and aircraft personnel recovery;assist in the interdiction of illegal watercraft (smugglers, etc.) andtheir personnel, contrabands, materials, etc.; assist in buoy and wallservicing at the proper height; provide for the roll on and roll offcapabilities of wheelchairs, carts with wheel(s), and specially designedgurneys for rescue operations which actually allow people in the waterto be placed onto a gurney that is then rolled onto the deck, that whenupon arrival at the shore or dock, can be rolled to the ambulance. Such“tasks” are well within the capability of the inventive catamarandisclosed herein.

At sea, extraction could involve search, rescue, and recovery missionswherein a watercraft has capsized or otherwise is in distress such thatpeople and/or articles are in the water; turbulent and turbid waterrescue and recovery in waters around dams and waterfalls; theinterdiction of contraband (articles or people) at sea; as well as highspeed rescue, including in under-fire conditions. A variety of othersituations similarly could require the watercraft to be able to easilyextract person(s), article(s), or equipment from the water or to easilyinsert divers or swimmers into the water.

On land, quickly inserting and extracting personnel could involvelittoral warfare, Special Forces that need to be whisked ashore at amoment's notice, and other conflicts with military implications to fightthe ongoing war on terrorism and the battles of the 21^(st) century. Italso could involve extracting unwary people who get stranded on rockpiles and rock jetties in a rising tide.

With police or law enforcement operations, a notable advantage of thishinged underwing is the ability to provide a work area at the properheight for law enforcement officers while on patrol and while boardingother craft and equipment. During most law enforcement and interdictionoperations, the bow of the patrol boat is pointed towards the area ofissue, which could be another boat, Jet Ski, buoy servicing, and/orother aids to navigation (e.g., ATON), etc. Often, a common problem onmost law enforcement boats is the fact that the bow is too high for theexecution of many desired operations. For boarding of other craft andequipment, the bow is often too high for many small boats and jet skies.This movable bow area provides an excellent working platform for manydifferent applications.

Regardless of the motivation, the watercraft of choice often is acatamaran, because of its superior nautical qualities, such as, forexample, beam-to-length ratio and shallow draft, which providesdesirable stability and resistance to capsizing. In addition, somespecialized catamarans also offer high speed, extremely smooth ride, andenhanced maneuverability due to their hull shape. This combination ofimproved speed, stability, ride, and maneuverability provides a uniquesolution to many age-old problems with the current technologies oflanding craft (i.e., landing craft are very slow, unstable incomparison, difficult to maneuver, and are wet as a transport platform).The catamaran's speed would be important in interdiction efforts,homeland security missions, military operations—including littoralwarfare—police and law enforcement patrols, fire-fighting and rescueoperations—including high-speed and turbulent water rescue, and otherlike applications.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a catamaran, 10, is seen floatingin a body of water, 12, having a waterline, 14. Body of water 12 can bean ocean, lake, river, inland waterway, or any body of water upon whichthe catamaran can be run. A crewman, 16, stands before a helm, 18. Thecatamaran as shown has a pair of optional hatches, 20 and 22, and twinwater jet assemblies, 24 and 26, powered by engines not shown. Catamaran10 could be propelled with water jets, conventional underwater gear withpropellers, Inboard/Outboards, or Outboards, and other propulsionsystems. A cabin or other enclosure also could be provided for catamaran10, such as, for example, a small medical facility, airlift operationsfrom the deck, etc. Much of the description focuses on the hingedplatform extending from the forward end of the underwing. Such hingedplatform, however, also can extend from the rear edge of the underwing,or from both the front and rear edges of the underwing, as those skilledin the art will appreciate.

Catamaran 10 includes a pair of pontoons, 28 and 30, (see also FIG. 7)each have a forward tapered section, 32 and 34, respectively, as istypical in catamaran design. Interconnecting pontoons 28 and 30 is anunderwing or bridgework, 36. Hatches 20 and 22, crewman 16, and helm 18,all rest atop deck 36. Additional lifesaving gear, anchor, line, and thelike, are carried aboard catamaran 10 in conventional fashion, and asneeded depending upon its mission, marine regulations, type of waterupon which it operates (e.g., salt water or fresh water), and the like.The size of catamaran 10 also fits its mission, marine regulations, typeof water upon which it operates, and like factors well known to theskilled seaman.

In order to provide a rescue capability, a platform, 38, is hingedly orpivotally connected to the forward edge of underwing 36. Railings, 40and 42, extend adjacent to hinged platform 38 for safety. Referring nowalso to FIGS. 3 and 4, crewman 16 has moved forward to a control, 44, inorder to control and operate the catamaran with full visibility ofpeople and equipment in the water and to control the elevation ofplatform 38. In addition, lights can be installed, night visionequipment, etc., for night or inclement weather extraction and insertionoperations. While a variety of mechanisms for raising and loweringplatform 38 can be envisioned and utilized (e.g., oil hydraulic, airhydraulic, cable lift, chain lift, spring loaded, gear-driven, and otherlifting mechanisms), a simple line (for example, steel or other suitablecable) and pulley system is illustrated in the drawings. Specifically, aline, 46, surmounts a pulley, 48, and is connected to platform 38 at aconnection point, 50, and to a motor assembly, 52, which includes a reelfor line 46 to be wound about. The skilled artisan will appreciate thatother power sources capable of lowering and raising platform 38 withline 46 can be used, including a hand crank, as is necessary, desirable,or convenient.

Platform 38 also can retain an extension, 54, at its forward end, whichextension can unfold or otherwise extend from platform 38 into and,perhaps, slightly under waterline 14 to aid in the ability of crewman 16to walk onto extension 54 to insert or extract person(s), article(s), orequipment into or from the water. Platform 38 also will be seen to flareout at its forward end to follow the contour of forward tapered sections32 and 34. Such shape results in a larger working area for platform 38which can be especially useful when platform 38 is lowered into aworking or rescue position.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, platform 38 will be seen in anupward or stowed position and in phantom in a lowered position, such asfor extracting person(s), article(s), or equipment from the water, orinserting divers or swimmers into the water. A portion of platform 38and extension 54 are slightly under waterline 14 in FIG. 5, althoughthis is not necessary. While a variety of hinge systems can beenvisioned, a simple hinge system is shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, ahinge assembly, 56, pivotally connects underwing 36 to platform 38.Extension 54 also is folded back onto platform 38 in a stowed position.Extension 54 also desirably is hingedly connected to platform 38 and iscapable of being unfolded by crewman 16 to an operating condition.

FIG. 8 illustrates novel catamaran 10 rescuing a person, 58, from thewater. Specifically, platform 38 has been lowered, extension 54unfolded, and crewman 16 has walked down onto extension 54 to reachperson 58. The ability of platform 38 and especially extension 54 toreach below waterline 14 enables crewman 16 to more easily reach person58. Such design may even permit a single crewman to affect a rescue atsea.

FIG. 9 illustrates another anticipated use for novel catamaran 10.Crewman 16 has driven catamaran 10 to a beach, 60, which can be directlyaccessed with lowered platform 38. Extension 54 still is in its foldedand stowed position, but may be extended, if needed. Regardless, thedesign of pivoting platform 38 enables catamaran 10 to land crewman 16onto shore 60 for extracting person(s), article(s), or equipment, or tounload people or cargo, or for any other use desired.

FIGS. 10 through 14 depict crewman 16 standing at various elevations onadjustable platform extension 54 at appropriate heights and level forstanding for a specific mission. Also note FIG. 12 where extension 54 iselevated at 90 degrees to the horizon for providing a stop forapproaching boats and protection for crewman 16.

FIG. 15 shows a specially designed platform 62 and extension 64 withspecial louvered holes (apertures) allowing water passing throughwithout adversely affecting the maneuverability of catamaran 10. Thisprovides for slow operation with the underwing 38 fully lowered and theboat in forward motion. Platform 62 and extension 64 are variants ofplatform 38 and extension 54. Platform 62 and extension 64 are of gratedconstruction to allow passage of water through its structure while thevessel is in motion, consequently expanding its abilities and usesbeyond that of platform 38. Examples of platform 62 and extension 64'sabilities over that of platform 38 and extension 54 would be insertionor extraction of people, article(s), or equipment onto or from rockpiles, rock jetties, and break walls; as well as turbulent or turbidrescue and recovery missions, including those around dams andwaterfalls. What makes platform 62 able to do this and not platform 38is because the grated construction allows water to pass through ratherthan over and into the boat; this “passing through of water” preventsflooding and submergence of the boat into turbulent waters; it alsoaffects handling and maneuverability.

Another example of platform 62 and extension 64's unique abilities overplatform 38 and extension 54 is high speed rescue, including inunder-fire conditions; the high speed is achieved because of reducedwater drag and water flow over the platform 62 and extension 64 comparedwith platform 38 and extension 54. Of course, other construction ofplatforms 38/62 and extensions 54/64 are possible, as those skilled inthe art will appreciate.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that variouschanges may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elementsthereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition,many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation ormaterial to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims. Also, all citations referred herein are expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

1. A catamaran, which comprises: (a) a pair of spaced-apart pontoons,each having a forward tapered end and a rearward end; (b) an underwingaffixed to said pontoons and spanning therebetween, said underwinghaving a forward end and a rearward end; (c) a platform pivotallyconnected to one or more of said underwing forward end or said underwingrearward end, and conforming to the pontoons at their forward taperedend or rearward end, respectively, said platform having a forward end;and (d) a power assembly connected to said platform for one or more oflowering or raising said platform from a stowed position to a pluralityof working positions and for one or more of raising or lowering saidplatform back to said stowed position.
 2. The catamaran of claim 1,wherein said platform carries an extension movable from a stowedposition to an extended position.
 3. The catamaran of claim 2, whereinsaid extension is pivotally connected to said platform forward end. 4.The catamaran of claim 2, wherein said extension is under water whenextended and said platform lowered.
 5. The catamaran of claim 1, whereinsaid platform carries railings.
 6. The catamaran of claim 2, wherein oneor more of said platform or said extension is louvered.
 7. The catamaranof claim 3, wherein said extension is movable to a position about 90°from the horizontal and adjustable to keep level for a crew to stand on.8. The catamaran of claim 3, wherein said platform is pivotallyconnected to said underwing forward end.
 9. A method for one or more ofinsertion or extraction of one or more of people, articles, or equipmentat sea, which comprises: (a) providing a catamaran, which comprises: (i)a pair of spaced-apart pontoons, each having a forward tapered end and arearward end; (ii) an underwing affixed to said pontoons and spanningtherebetween, said underwing having a forward end and a rearward end;(iii) a platform pivotally connected to one or more of said underwingforward end or said underwing rearward end, and conforming to thepontoons at their forward tapered end or rearward end, respectively,said platform having a forward end; and (iv) a power assembly connectedto said platform for one or more of lowering or raising said platformfrom a stowed position to a plurality of working positions and for oneor more of raising or lowering said platform back to said stowedposition; (b) one or more of lowering or raising said platform to aposition adjacent to said one or more people, articles, or equipment;and (c) a crewperson accessing said platform to accomplish said one ormore of insertion or extraction.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein saidplatform carries an extension movable from a stowed position to anextended position and said extension is moved into an operable positionto aid in said accessing said one or more of insertion or extraction.11. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more of insertion orextraction of one or more of people, articles, or equipment at sea,comprises one or more of into or from the water, or onto or from theland, or onto or from rock piles, rock jetties, or break walls;insertion or extraction of submarines into or from the water; assistingin the efforts of homeland security, military, police and lawenforcement, fire-fighting, or rescue operations; assist in high speedrescue excursions or under-fire personnel recovery; assist in turbulentand turbid water rescue; assist in aircraft and aircraft personnelrecovery; assist in the interdiction of illegal watercraft and theirpersonnel, contrabands, or materials; assist in buoy and wall servicingat the proper height; provide for the roll on and roll off capabilitiesof wheelchairs, carts with wheels, and rescue operation designedgurneys.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein said extension is pivotallyconnected to said platform forward end.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein said extension is under water when extended and said platformlowered.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more of saidplatform or said extension is louvered.
 15. The method of claim 12,wherein said extension is movable to a position about 90° from thehorizontal and adjustable to keep level for the crew to stand on. 16.The method of claim 9, wherein platform is pivotally connected to saidunderwing forward end.